Smartphones, tablets and laptops are one of the widely used consumer electronics devices with a number of hardware and software features. One of the key features of these devices is the ability to communicate wirelessly. There are multiple wireless communication options suitable for different range and purposes. For example, Bluetooth is commonly used for communication over a very short distance, such as a distance of few meters. Wi-Fi is commonly used for communication over a distance in the range of about 10 meters from the access point. The mobile wireless communication technologies such as 2G/3G/4G are used to communicate over a range of kilometers.
The Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies are relatively lower complexity hardware and are sometimes considered as baseline features and are usually integrated into the primary consumer electronics product. On the other hand, the mobile communication modem may be an optional item that can be installed at the factory or by the user depending on the particular type of consumer device. For example, with Smartphones usually the mobile communication modem is always integrated as part of the phone. On the other hand, for tablets and laptops, the mobile communication modem may be an optional item.
For mobile wireless communication, the user needs to get subscription from a service provider. Often users do not stick to one service provider for a long period of time although they may continue to use the same consumer electronics device such as a Smartphone, a tablet or a laptop over a longer period of time. Also, in some consumer electronics devices, users may not have opted to purchase the mobile communication modem during initial purchase but subsequently may choose to add that functionality. Furthermore, the user may wish to transition to newer technologies such as 4G.
Often mobile wireless communication modems in the USB dongle form factor are available as a separate device and can be used with tablets, laptops and other consumer electronics devices to get mobile wireless communication capability. In some consumer electronics devices, these mobile wireless communication modems can be used by connecting them into an available USB port on the consumer electronics device such as a laptop or tablet. While the USB dongle addresses some of the issues mentioned above, it is not a practical solution in many cases since it sticks out of the consumer electronics device, may have power supply limitations, and other performance issues.